LED light guide/install with pics. Name/size/placment - Page 6

Bigron · #76 (**permalink**) 05-27-08, 12:01 PM

I just realized I said my sleeve length was 30. I have short arms but not that bad 34/35. Also the only tool I used was a small screw driver to pop the clips off on the fender liner.

Here is a pic comapring stock and the upgrade:

Here are some more pics:
http://www.ronoversiii.com/exteriorled.htm

Bigron · #77 (**permalink**) 05-27-08, 12:07 PM

Also, studying this picture really helped to figure out what I was trying to do under there.

lunarx · #78 (**permalink**) 05-27-08, 12:56 PM

Wondering on easy way to do passenger side.

Drivers side is easy if you remove the Air Cleaner box.

bpitas · #79 (**permalink**) 05-27-08, 01:22 PM

Lunarx, are you talking about the triangle corner lights? If so, then you definitely don't have to take anything besides the wheel-well liner off to do the swap, and you don't even have to take the liners all the way off. You can just push them back out of the way. You'll be working without being able to see much, but honestly it's really easy if you realize you're feeling around for that big round spin-off cover in the picture above. Once you're in there it's easy to feel the plug socket for the corner lights. My car is lowered quite a bit, and I can still do that swap without jacking the front end just by turning the wheel all the way to one side to take the wheel well liner off, and then to the opposite direction to work.

I've got LEDs in my top tails, but when I tried to do middle tails I got some weird voltage bleed that made them light up when my LED directionals were on. I put in LED directionals, but got fast-blink syndrome until I put in resistors. Man those things get HOT when the directionals are on!!!

But for whatever reason, when I have the LED directionals in, BOTH of the middle tails also light up in time with the directionals. So I put the stock middle lights back in, and you can *still* see the middle tails light up a tiny bit with the directionals, but because the resistance of the stock incandencents is so high, you have to really look to see it, and it's just a slight glow to the filliment, like it gets slightly red in time with the directionals. So I gave up having all LED tails & directionals and just went with upper tails and directionals in LED and incandescents in the middle tails. The delay in the incandenscents when you hit the brakes is noticable, and looks a bit like the old sequential tail-lights on Mercury Cougers, just top to bottom instead of inside to outside.

Bigron · #80 (**permalink**) 05-27-08, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunarx

Wondering on easy way to do passenger side.

Drivers side is easy if you remove the Air Cleaner box.

Turn the wheel all the way to the drivers side, remove the 3 "pop" clips, jam your left arm up and in there, spin the cap off, wiggle the bulb and press the clips till it pops out, change bulb, check to make sure it works, snap bulb back in, screw cap back on, put clips back in.

lunarx · #81 (**permalink**) 05-27-08, 04:16 PM

Cool

I'll have both sides done soon then.

bpitas · #82 (**permalink**) 05-27-08, 04:22 PM

It's definitely one of those things that might take you a bit the first time, but will be super easy after that. I have done mine a few times now because I bought the cheaper eBay LEDs the first time around and they died pretty quickly, and then when I bought them again I got a few different types to see what looked better. (I ended up with the 5-pad SMD ones) You might lose some skin off your arm, but you'll get it done. :-)

nxlr8 · #83 (**permalink**) 05-27-08, 11:05 PM

Been away from this thread for a while... been pretty busy...

Anyway, got the front headlight LED mod done today (thanks to Bigron's post to kick me in the butt to do it)

Figured, a comparo shot would look just like all the others, so I threw up some macro shots of the bulb in the housing... looks nice... was TIGHT squeeze to get it in, took some pushing and rocking to get it to go in.

Backups are done... very happy with the results... ended up going with the 57-LED eBay bulbs. very bright and look great!

As for the tails... what a PITA...
I have the red 57-LED 3157's in there...

they are as bright as the stockers when in the taillights, but the brake lights are NOT very bright... so... right now, I have the 57's in the mid-lamps and the regular incandescents in the brake lamps... need to find a GOOD BRIGHT brake light.

I put the Eagle Eye Tower in the turn signal and got the "constant on" problem... so that won't work... it DID look good, it wasn't amber, but a clear and clean yellow color... just can't get it to work without a resistor to trick the car.

So... the floor is open...

I need to find
1) a BRIGHT brake light 3157 LED
2) a turn signal LED that works without a resistor

Any ideas?

Also... I have a white Eagle Eye Tower 3156 which I don't need... anyone interested in buying one?

JonCR96Z · #84 (**permalink**) 05-31-08, 01:09 AM

After seeing this thread Tuesday night. I decided to order me some LED B/U lights. Per nxlr8's advice I didn't order bulbs for the brakes, but I did order enough to do my Escalade also. This looks awesome! The b/u lights are a must. The reds are harder to tell, but still noticable. The break lights are a waste. The light bar across the trunk lid actually looks closer in color to the halogen lights, go figure. And they really aren't that hard to get in, the Escalade was way harder. BTW, these are the same 3157 ebay bulbs as pictured above.

Here's a nice and blurry shot of the lights. (By the way if any one can tell me how to take a non blurry night shot without flash on a digital camera, I would appreciate it.)

nxlr8 · #85 (**permalink**) 05-31-08, 02:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonCR96Z

(By the way if any one can tell me how to take a non blurry night shot without flash on a digital camera, I would appreciate it.)

Use a Tripod (or put the camera on something solid and use the timer function)

So, am I understanding you correctly.... You did NOT replace the dual filament LED's on the brake lights? (3157's)

I really want to find a GOOD bright bulb for the brake lights so I can "complete" my tail lights...

Anyone have a turn signal LED that works out of the box?

JonCR96Z · #86 (**permalink**) 05-31-08, 11:48 AM

I tried it but I could barely tell any difference color wise. I didn't mind it not being as bright since the third brake light is there. It just seemed like a waste since it look about the same.

The Escalade on the other hand, you can see the difference better (due to the style of lens). But looks odd with out turn signals so I ordered some more (along with some DRLs) and the load resistors.

I did find a place that says they sell the brightest LED bulb. Oh, wait a minute, they all say that. Anyway I ordered some of those too. I'll post up the results when they come in.

nxlr8 · #87 (**permalink**) 05-31-08, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonCR96Z

... I ordered some more (along with some DRLs) and the load resistors.

Even better... do the !DRL mod... DRL's suck!

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonCR96Z

I'll post up the results when they come in.

I am glad to see more people working on getting the best fit for bulbs on our cars!

JonCR96Z · #88 (**permalink**) 05-31-08, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nxlr8

I am glad to see more people working on getting the best fit for bulbs on our cars!

I don't do it to help the cadillac community, I'm just helping myself.

ImAShakiraholic · #89 (**permalink**) 06-02-08, 04:25 PM

I've been looking at this for a turn signal:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=280230762412
and I just bought these for my tail lights I'll tell you if they work well:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=260244794966

bpitas · #90 (**permalink**) 06-02-08, 04:31 PM

I'm using those turn signals, and I had some voltage bleed-through into the middle tail-lights whenever the directionals are on. If you turn on either directional, it flashes that directional PLUS both middle tail-lights. I have the big resistors from V-leds too. The resistors get REALLY hot, btw, so make sure you mount them to something safe!